Transit Potential of Iran and its Importance for Central Asia

The transit potential of Iran’s territory is very important for Central Asian countries. The confined space of Central Asia has no access to the world ocean, restricts its trade and export opportunities. Iran, being situated between three continents, has geostrategic advantages in the Middle East and is called a “connecting bridge between East and West”. Land and air routes which pass through Iran can make Central Asia closer to the West and the countries of the Persian Gulf by a short route. The transit potential of Iran can only be used in conjunction with regional partnership, be a prerequisite for a closer interregional cooperation.

It is impossible to say when silk, the product that lends its name to the trade route, came to be traded. And while the main object of travelling the early caravan routes was to buy or sell goods to or from faraway places, silk ended up the most eagerly traded and mysterious item. It was so rare that the Romans could only afford to sew a thin strip onto their togas.